Caring for a daughter with epilepsy has led Cindy Kelly on a mission to help women across the globe.
The Sun previously reported on Cindy and her 16-year-old daughter, Morgan, as the latter went through experimental treatment at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Maryland. The treatment singed a portion of Morgan’s brain that caused her to have seizures.
Cindy has since written about her time following Morgan’s treatments in an anthology called “Women Who Rise,” with entries from 29 other female contributors across the globe. The book was published in early May.
The anthology was created and published by Kate Butler, who sought stories of the struggles women face as individuals, moms and wives to inspire others having difficulty with life.
“It isn’t so much about Morgan and her seizures as it was the recovery from many different things that happened over the last few years, and how I pulled myself back to a happy place,” Cindy shared.
“I learned to focus on being present and living in the moment, over putting stress on myself to make things perfect.”
Her chapter, “Present Over Perfect,” surrounded a moment spent in Ocean City, watching the waves crash as she recounted her experiences and emotions from Morgan’s surgery, away from the rest of the world.
The mother of four had spent the year following Morgan’s treatments trying to figure out what was next for her family, how to reclaim time with her children equally and how to become her own person.
“I was also not happy with myself and how I looked and felt about who I was,” Cindy wrote in her chapter. “I stress ate during this time and the scale loved to remind me of that. I cried when things didn’t fit, and I hated the person looking back at me in the mirror.”.
As Morgan’s life shifted to a new normal, Cindy and her family learned to not take the time spent together for granted and to nurse memories, starting with the Ocean City trip. The shore town gave the Kelly family freedom to relax and resume their lives.
Cindy said finding friends who went through similar situations helped her grow a support network that often shared stories and laughs. That grew into a desire to make a difference for others as she healed herself.
Then came “Women Who Rise.”
Cindy’s chapter was not the only one that involved a medical situation. One writer had a child with multiple sclerosis. Another chapter was from a woman whose son was fighting a rare medical condition.
“They live in Iceland and he became very sick out of the blue, and she had to fight for him to get the necessary medical attention needed,” Cindy explained. “I connected with her (story) because of Morgan’s journey.”
Cindy aspired for her chapter to serve as a beacon of hope to other people who have been that beacon for her.
“I think everybody has a story to tell and you just don’t know it, yet,” she explained. “That’s why I felt I needed to do this and step up to tell other women in my life and be the voice for them.”
To purchase “Women Who Rise,” visit KateButletBooks.com.
